Modeling & Acting 101 - A Model/Actor's Diary

'Tis the Season, folks! I'm sure you're all busy juggling shopping, work, cramming for finals (for you students out there), planning holiday travel and the list goes on. As you could probably tell--for my loyal readers out there--2016 was my slowest year ever in terms of posting new content here on Modeling 101. I hope I haven't let you down too terribly or given you the impression that I've retired or no longer do anything with this blog but if you have been keeping up with things, you already know that my lack of posting new stuff wasn't on purpose or to torture you. I'm the type of person who doesn't like to do anything halfheartedly. That includes emailing, blogging, even visiting with friends/family. If I don't have the appropriate amount of time to be focused on the task at hand, I would rather put it off until I have ample time to be at my best and give my full attention. I hate skimming through emails and rushing my responses and ...

It goes without saying that arriving on time to castings is one of the biggest ways to make a good first impression when it comes to establishing a good reputation in the modeling world. Those new to modeling--especially you freelance models out there--have a lot of new territory to encounter and I hope this post gives you less to stress about. When you're not stressed, you're able to focus more on performing well during the casting and hopefully setting yourself up to get hired for that modeling job! Some of these tips are common sense but like I always say, "Common sense just isn't common enough." Believe me, if I didn't feel these things needed to be mentioned, I wouldn't even bother but if I can help even one person have an "AHA!" moment in realizing mistakes they may have made in the past (and can now correct moving forward), then I will have considered this post a success. Lets get to it! TIP #1: DESIGNATE A CONTACT PERSON Soo...

There is a lot to be said for how one measures "success" or defines "professional" when it comes to an industry like modeling. Most people automatically think about money. Of course it makes sense that a professional model is one who gets paid for his/her services. Supermodels make tons of money so it's easy to see why the every day person would consider the almighty dollar as a major factor. However, while earning income for modeling is a big perk, it isn't the only form of compensation female and male models receive for their efforts. Sometimes models have to determine whether a gig is worth taking or not based on the form of compensation. Project type, budget, client and job duties all factor into what type of compensation will be provided to a model and as with much in the industry, the details almost always vary from project to project. Below are a few of the most common forms of modeling compensation aside from money that models will want to ...

I'm often a broken record. I repeat a lot of the same things over and over and over. That's usually because I find that it drills important info into people's heads and helps them remember things more easily. Referring to modeling agency websites is one of the most common things I repeat constantly and with good reason--many questions and concerns can be answered by visiting an agency's website. Period. These days agencies take great time and care to post content on their websites to help models with everything from how to submit themselves for representation, reference photos for snapshots and--in recent years--vital information about warnings and scams to be on the lookout for. Modeling recruitment scams are prominent and with technology making it easier for people to stay anonymous and/or pretend to be someone they're not, agencies are very aware that there are individuals posing as model scouts and preying on unsuspecting newbies. Because a lot of pe...

I know the phrase, “Sell Yourself,” sounds suspect but when I was 15-years-old, this is what I was taught when I first got into the industry as a model/actor. Over the years, I’ve come to know how important this concept is and have made it a point to implement it when I mentor, coach and consult models. The idea of “selling yourself” is quite simple: in order to convince agencies, clients, casting directors, etc. to work with you is to know how to pitch yourself to them. Essentially, learning how to talk about yourself in a confident and conversational way is one of the greatest secrets to booking gigs and building/maintaining a solid networking environment. Aside from the many castings I’ve been to over the years, I’ve also had the opportunity to be a part of the casting process and experience things from the other side. It never ceases to amaze me how many models have a hard time talking about themselves. If you’re new and/or inexperienced, that’s one thing but I’ve seen mode...

I blogged about my next business venture earlier this year and after a lot of tweaking and planning, I'm happy to announce the official launch of DaniaDee.com ! WHAT IS DANIADEE.COM? Being able to help others pursue their goals for the modeling industry over the years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. People have shared their stories, dreams and aspirations with me and to be able to get them closer to making those dreams a reality inspired me to take things up a notch. I've been mentoring/coaching/consulting for a while now but mainly via email and word-of-mouth. However, I feel the time is right to take my services to the next level by officially marketing myself as a mentor/coach/consultant! DaniaDee.com is specifically for the purpose of marking those services to those with a serious interest in having one-on-one assistance with their entertainment careers. IS IT JUST FOR MODELS? No, DaniaDee.com is designed to offer one-on-one servic...

I'm sure you can't believe it but this is the last post in this mini-blog series! Haven't read the other six before this one? Well, lucky for you, they're listed below with links you can click on to go directly to the post you want to read: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt V: Services Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt VI: Contact Page" This last post is going to focus on social media. Sure, we all know what it is and use it frequently--in fact, social media is now a regular part of our daily lives, regardless of your background and lifestyle. But when it comes to using this feature on your official modeling website, there are a few rules of thumb you'll want to take ...

We're almost there, folks! This mini-blog post series is almost at its end. I've got five blog posts so far and there's two more to go, including this one. To recap the posts already in this series for those that haven't had a chance to check them out yet, they are listed below: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt V: Services Page" This blog post is much more straightforward and to the point compared to the other topics I've covered but nonetheless, the Contact Page is yet another crucial component of any model's official website. THE CONTACT PAGE IS EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE The goal for the contact page is to encourage those visiting your modeling website to s...

After a long break from actively blogging, it's a new year and I've recharged my batteries and am ready to pick up where I've left off in this mini-series of blog posts. As I'm sure you already know, I've written four posts in this series so far: "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt I: Welcome Page" "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt II: Photo Gallery" “The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt III: About Me” "The Anatomy of a Modeling Website Pt IV: Resume Page" If you haven't had a chance to check them out yet, those links will take you right to it and get you up to speed. All right, let's get to the fifth installment in this series: The Services Page! WHAT IS THE SERVICES PAGE? Simply put, the Services page of a modeling website states what type of modeling is being offered. Like the other pages of a website, Services should be clear and to the point. No need for long, rambling paragraphs or unnecessary inf...

Happy New Year! Okay, it's been the new year for a few days now but this is the first post I've written for 2016 so I wanted to keep the festive feeling going. I've gotta say that 2015 was quite a year for me and I'm sure you've noticed that I've been MIA from regularly posting. There really aren't just enough hours in the day and I apologize if you've felt abandoned or wanting for new information. I haven't forgotten you! There is always method to my madness, however. I basically devoted myself to being a workaholic in overdrive for 2015 so that I could position myself to make 2016 the kind of year where I could pick and choose how much I wanted to work (or not work) without worrying about making ends meet. You know, grown up stuff, lol. That being said, below is a quick recap of what 2015 held for me. Hopefully it will show you why I was absent as much as I was from my Modeling 101 blog and other related projects: Being interviewed live...